The Fate of Us
by pensversusswords
Summary: Introverted, unhappy Elsa's life is turned upside down when a Scottish exchange student comes to live with her and her family, as she learns to come out of her shell and how to live her life again. Elsa/Merida.
1. First Impressions

**A/N: **Thanks for checking this out! This story is going to be about the developing relationship of Elsa from Frozen, and Merida from Brave. This is one of the first fanfics I've put up for people to see, so reviews and constructive criticism is appreciated :)

* * *

People often have this misconception that first impressions are the most important part of knowing a person. That in those first moments of meeting, there is this kind of gut instinct that is naturally inherent in every person, that flares up every time we meet someone new. Maybe there is some kind of truth to this, there are some people you can tell are kind or awful within the first few moments of meeting them. It's not unheard of to despise or become infatuated with someone after seeing them for the first time. So I can see why people might think that the first few moments after meeting someone are so important.

I, however, don't think that this is true at all.

This is for many reasons. One, is because from just the first few words you can say to someone, you usually can't tell if they're going to be important to you or not. I can't honestly say that when I think back to when I first met any of the friends I've ever loved in my entire lifetime, that in the first few seconds after I said hello to them, that I thought _oh, I am going to have some pretty amazing adventures with you. _There's just no way of knowing that. Another reason is that, this belief doesn't take into account the fact that sometimes people just have really shitty days, and they aren't feeling like themselves. The grumpy person you run into on the street could be the most friendly person in the world, you're just seeing them at the worst.

As you can see, it is completely unreliable.

For me though, I have my own reason for this conundrum. The reason this even came to my mind at all, that I even needed to contemplate this theory of "first meetings," was _her_.

_Man_ was I ever wrong about her.

* * *

The day I met her it was raining - always a good sign, usually that implies that you're going to meet an axe murderer - and I was still angry at my mother for making me do this. If she wanted to use our home for that silly exchange program, then fine, that was her decision. Bringing me into it though... that was another story. I was definitely not okay with that.

I was standing near the arrivals gate, holding up one of those dumb little signs that says the name of the person you're waiting for. I thought to myself that it seemed like such a movie thing, not something that people actually find themselves doing in real life. But here I was, clutching my oversized blue sweater around me and picking a thread in my worn jeans, holding that stupid cardboard sign with the name _Merida_ scrawled across it in my messy, blockish handwriting.

The plane was late, and I was impatient. I wanted to get home and seclude myself back in the darkness of my bedroom and not have to deal with the annoyance of actually talking to people. I wished that my brother Kristoff, or my mom, or even my scatterbrained father could have done this. To be fair though, the chances of something going wrong would have been increased by a thousand if he had come to do it. He would have forgotten the gate number or been an hour late, or some other inconceivable tragedy would take place. Anna was hardly any different, and my mom just plain didn't want to do it. So I was the one who was given the task of picking up the exotic exchange student. Hooray for me.

I had been so lost in my downward spiral of self pity and irritation, that I hadn't even noticed that while I was daydreaming, a girl with the reddest, curliest hair was standing about two feet in front of me, and was looking at me with an annoyed expression.

"Um, I'm Merida," she said, and the tone of her voice indicated that this was definitely not the first time that she had said this to me, but I had be too far off in dreamland to notice it. "Are you Elsa?"

Her Scottish accent was so incredibly thick that it took me a moment to even register what she was saying. Then, after an uncomfortably long pause, I realized just how stupid I probably looked, staring blankly right at this girl from a foreign country after she had repeated her statement most likely more than once. I cleared my throat, feeling myself get even more irritated at the fact that I was now, on top of everything else, an embarrassed idiot.

"Uh yeah, hi. Nice to meet you. Did you... have a good have a good flight?" It took me a moment to find the situational appropriate small talk that was fit for this point in time, which caused an awkward pause in the middle of my sentence. Ask about how the plane ride was? Why not, might as well _attempt_ to seem polite.

What I wasn't expecting was for her to scrunch up her nose and deliver a curt "no" before slinging her bag over her shoulder and taking off towards the baggage claim. Then, without turning around she called back to me over her shoulder, "And you can put that silly sign down now. You found me." I looked down to see that I was still holding up that foolish piece of cardboard like an idiot. _Way to go Elsa_, I told myself.

This girl though. How rude was she? I had trekked here in the cold and wet weather, drove across the rain slicked highway and waited for her late plane, and in return I got complete hostility. Go figure.

I decided right then and there, that I was going to hate absolutely every single moment of this.


	2. Forever

After tracking down her enormous suitcase and the collective effort we both took in trying to shove it into the trunk of my tiny car, the two of us sat in silence as I pulled out of the airport parking lot.

One thing about me that years of people trying to coax me out of my shell had not changed in the slightest, was my disinterest and inability to make small talk with anyone. Chances are that if we aren't close enough that in order for us to communicate, we need to use small talk, I probably don't care how your day was or what you've been up to recently. So I'm probably not going to ask you, and I would seriously prefer it if you didn't ask me. I am probably one hundred percent okay with sitting in silence. I like silence.

But this girl was in a brand new country with someone she had never met before, and was on her way to live in the home of a strange family. That had to be terrifying. I may be a bit cold, but I'm not cruel, so I decided that maybe I should say something to her.

"So uh..." I realized then that I had no idea what to say. _Shit_. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye and saw that she was looking at me with a blank expression. When I didn't say anything she shifted and turned to the window, and her plaid shirt moved enough to the side to reveal the shirt that she was wearing underneath. "You like Radiohead?"

I realized after I said it that I'd spoken far louder than I had intended to, and I felt myself blush in embarrassment. I glued my eyes to the road, hoping that she wouldn't notice the reddening of my cheeks. For a second I thought that she wasn't going to answer me, and I felt like kicking myself for even bothering, but then her soft, lilting voice responded. "I love them," she said, still staring out the window at the water running down in rivulets over the glass, as if she wasn't even saying it to me, but to herself, or someone in her head.

"I love them too," I said, happy that we found at least one thing we could talk about. "What's your favourite album?" I was determined to keep this conversation going.

"Hard to choose one, but if I had to pick, I guess it would be In Rainbows."

I felt myself smiling through my general aura of frustration. Maybe, just possibly, this girl could be cool after all. "That's definitely my second favourite, right after The Bends. If I could choose one album to listen to over and over for the rest of my life, that would be the one."

At my words I could tell she started at my words and turned to me. "What?" she said sharply, a slightly accusatory tone creeping into her voice. I could feel myself shrinking back into my seat as I felt her eyes boring into my head. What could I have _possibly_ said wrong. "Would you really make that kind of commitment? Forever?"

I didn't get what was with this girl. Why did it even matter to her?

I thought about my answer for a few minutes before I responded to her.

"Yes I think I would. I love it that much."

She scoffed at me. Actually _scoffed_ at me. I felt a new wave of irritation crash over me like a tidal wave and my hands stiffened on the wheel. This girl was so irritating, she was making me feel like pulling my hair out my head. For a moment I found myself comparing the feeling she was giving to me to nails on a chalkboard, or hangnails or crying babies. I was so annoyed that when she responded to me I hardly even listened to her grumbling under her breath.

"I can't imagine ever loving something so much that I would want it forever."

I wasn't even paying attention to her at that point, I was lost again in my spiral of self pity and frustration. If I had looked over, I would have noticed the tears pooling in her eyes and the way her hands clenched together so tightly that they turned white at the knuckles. I would've seen her pained expression and I would've asked what was wrong, and maybe she would have told me. Maybe she would've snapped at me that it was none of my business. Either way, I would never know, because I didn't look over, and if someone had been in the car with us they would have seen two girls so lost in themselves that they didn't even know how to begin to open up to each other. But for us there was just silence, as I drove Merida towards her new life.

* * *

Looking back, if I had known what was going on in that head of hers at the time, I would have stopped the car and pulled over. I would have slid across the seat and put an arm around her and let her sob into my shoulder and I wouldn't even care if she got my favourite sweater wet. I would tell her it's all going to be okay and that she was going to figure it all out. I'd let her cry until she couldn't cry any more, and then I would find her a tissue and I wouldn't comment on how the redness of her nose made her look like Rudolph, or when she cried she sounded kind of like she was drowning. I'd just drive her home, and make sure no one commented on the redness of her eyes or her Rudolph nose, and I'd keep her company as she embarked on this new chapter of her life.

That's the funny thing about looking back though. You have all the answers once you don't need them anymore, you know what to do when you've already done it all and made the mistakes. There were no shortcuts. Merida and I didn't have the luxury of knowing what direction we were headed in, or how we would get there. We were impossibly stuck going the long way around.


	3. Saturday Mornings

The sound of shouting is what woke me. Excited, loud shouting, on a Saturday morning.

I was not one bit happy.

I groaned and rolled over, grabbed my pillow and threw it over my head and pressed it against my ears, in the hopes that it might actually help drown out the voices that were seeping through my walls and I could get back to sleep. But it was to no avail, it just muffled the irritating noises and made them no less unnoticeable.

I threw off my blankets and swung my feet over the side of my bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and arching my back to stretch the cramping from sleeping in a relatively uncomfortable position all night. Outside the cocoon of my warm blankets, the room seemed starkly cold and I wished I could dive back into the warmth and telepathically tell my brother to shut the hell up. Of course that wasn't an option though, so I groaned again inwardly and I stood and padded across the carpeted floor, weaving around the haphazard piles of miscellaneous items that covered the floor - I really needed to clean my room. There was stuff everywhere; clothes and books stacked all over and the only clear space was the path from the bed to my door. I sighed as I squinted in the dimness at the mess. If Mom came in here she would not be happy. Oh well, one battle at a time.

I wrenched my door open and marched out into the hallway, heading straight for Kristoff's door and pounded on it mercilessly. "Open up you jerk, do you know what time it is?" I shouted savagely through the door, and the voices stopped for a moment, before erupting in laughter. I bristled with anger. Probably one of his annoying friends was in there with him, one of those jacked up football players swimming in a sea of adolescent insecurity and too much testosterone. My favourite.

I heard footsteps and braced myself for a heated argument, and when the door opened I opened my mouth to unleash some kind of scathing insult and raised my hand dramatically.

Then, I froze.

Because it was not my brother or some annoying jock who opened the door, but Merida.

She stood there smiling, wearing an oversized sweatshirt and boxer shorts, and her massive cloud of red hair was tied back into a bun as best as it could be, but due to the mass volume of hair a few tendrils of red strands crept out to frame her face, creating an appealing bed head look. One hand pale hand was on the door still, and the other was on her hip as she leaned in a casual stance, her head tilted to the side, blue eyes peering at me quizzically.

That's when I realized that I was standing with my mouth hanging open, and finger raised, as if I was some cartoon character. God, I just couldn't help looking like a fool in front of this girl every time I spoke to her. I just seriously hadn't been expecting her to be the one on the other side of the door when it opened.

I straightened and cleared my throat, feeling my hands come up to fiddle with the ends of my braid, a nervous habit that I just couldn't seem to break, and averted my eyes. "Um, sorry. Didn't think you were in there. You guys just woke me up."

"Sorry! We're just really into the game," she responded, the apology clearly sincere in her voice. I glanced around her and saw GTA 5 playing on the screen, and Kristoff waving at me with a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry sis, I forgot you like to sleep in."

I harrumphed rudely and glared at him. "Sure you did."

Merida put a hand on my shoulder and fixed her gaze on me. Unwillingly, I turned to her and met her eyes, fighting the urge to shrug her hand off my shoulder and stalk back to my room. I was trying to be nice though, so I just smiled at her tensely and waited for her to talk.

"We'll try to keep it down. Unless you want to join us, it's really fun, trust me," she said animatedly, gesturing wildly with her other hand at the TV and my lump of a brother. Her eyes were lit up like a kid on Christmas and her grin was so wide I worried shrewdly that her face was going to ache when it finally relaxed. If it ever did.

I found myself shaking my head firmly, backing away from the threshold and releasing my braid to cross my arms over my chest in a defensive stance. Hang out with my brother and the exchange student? No way. I guess she hadn't been here for very long so I couldn't really blame her for not knowing what kind of person I was, the kind of person who definitely doesn't hang out with her brother and play video games on a Saturday morning. Ever.

"No thanks," I said quietly, trying my hardest not to be rude while I refused her kind request. She really looked like she wanted me to join them, her sparkling eyes staring at me expectantly as I backed away. "I uh... can't. I have a lot of stuff to do."

She raised an eyebrow and her smile dropped slightly. "Oh really, like what? It's Saturday, the day of freedom!" She threw her arms up dramatically, and Kristoff cheered from his spot in front of the TV. I was still shaking my head though, turning away and taking off towards my room, not caring that I left her standing there with the door open and an eager expression creasing her features. I practically sprinted back to my room, slammed the door behind me and leaned against it, dropping my head into my hands and sighing heavily.

She'd been here for a week, and I had been avoiding her the whole time. I'd wake up before her and head off to the university before she was even awake, and come home late in the evening after spending hours curled up in my favourite spot in the comfy red chair in the corner of our local library, plowing through epic adventure and fantasy stories, envying the bravery of the heroes in those stories. To be fair, that was what I normally did anyway, but it certainly did help me avoid that inquisitive redhead who had so suddenly become such a large fixture in my life. I didn't want her to think that I wanted her to be my friend, or that I wanted any friend at all. I just wanted to be left alone.

The only time we had really spoke since the airport was when she knocked on my door the night after she arrived, to apologize for the way she had acted when we first met. She'd stood with her hands behind her back and awkwardly shifted her weight back and forth between her feet as she stumbled over her apology. She told me that she was just really nervous about meeting me and my family and getting used to living in a new country.

I had just nodded a short "it's okay," before moving to close the door and slink back into my room. But she had stuck her hand out and stopped me from closing it, and a mischievous smirk tugged at the corners of her full, reddish pink lips. I felt weird that I had noticed the plumpness and the perfect shape of her lips, and coughed lightly to hide my momentary confusion, waiting for her to speak.

I wasn't expecting for her to bring one of her hands out from behind her back, and present me with a chocolate sitting in the palm of her hand. "Your mom said they're your favourite. Please accept this as my apology gift." She actually bowed in mock resignation, as if she was some sort of gallant medieval knight or something, and when her head came back up her eyes were glinting impishly. She was trying to make me laugh.

I found myself suddenly strangely nervous under her gaze as I reached out and gently took the chocolate from her hand. It really was my favourite kind. I managed to sputter out a quiet thank you before stumbling back into my room and shutting the door rather impolitely in her face. I just needed to get away from her before I embarrassed myself again.

And now she was apparently best friends with my _brother_, of all people. This meant there was even less of a chance that I could avoid her. Just great.

This was going to be a fantastic five months.


	4. Friends

The cold fall, evening air was practically going right through my leather jacket and thin, white button up shirt as I ran down the steps exiting the grocery store, and I crossed my arms tightly across my chest to try to conserve some of my warmth. The plastic bag I held in my right hand crinkled against my armpit, the milk I had just picked up sloshing around inside as I shivered involuntarily. Not even a month out of summer and you could already feel the fall air creeping its fingers across your face every time you walked outside. Just barely there, but enough to remind you that it wasn't summer anymore, and it was time for the reality check of fall weather. Which meant school, responsibilities, and other undesirable stuff like math homework and the approaching need for winter coats.

I didn't mind it though, I decided as I crossed the street, nodding a thank you to the driver who let me pass in front of him, who honked and waved in return. I liked fall, quite a bit actually and I was looking forward to the kaleidoscope of colours that the leaves would turn into before they floated off the trees to the ground. And the air was so crisp in fall, like a fresh, musky cleanness had taken over everything. It reminded me of camp fires and big comfy sweaters.

Nonetheless, I was wishing to myself that I hadn't worn my ragged jeans that had several holes in them, my pale skinny legs were no match for the coolness of the air, and I shivered again, huddling deeper into my thin jacket, and quickening my pace towards home.

By the time I got to the end of my driveway, all the lights were off in the house. It was pretty late, tonight was the night that I took that evening class on classic literature that wasn't offered during the day, and my little detour to the grocery store had eaten up a fair amount of time. It was safe to assume that everyone was in bed, fast asleep.

Keeping this in mind, I slid my key into the lock as quietly as I could, and pushed the door open slowly, trying not to let it creak. I stepped in lightly, and kicked off my boots and left them by the door, not caring enough about getting yelled at in the morning for it to actually put them away on the shoe rack. I paused for a moment and listened to hear if anyone was moving around or if a TV was on anywhere in the house. Nope, nothing. All was silent.

I crept into the kitchen and opened the fridge, took the milk out of the bag and shoved it in the fridge. I contemplated grabbing something to eat, but I didn't feel hungry enough to justify putting in the effort into actually making something this late. And with that I shut the fridge door, adjusted the strap on my shoulder bag, and turned around to head upstairs to my bedroom.

And ran straight into Merida.

Our bodies collided and our heads cracked against each other's with a painful jolt, and both of us made a surprised _oof _as we stumbled backwards, clutching our foreheads on the point of impact. My heart was racing wildly, I could practically feel my it crashing against my ribcage, and I felt myself suck my breath in as a loud gasp that echoed in the silence of the kitchen. It took me a few seconds of staying bent over at the hip and clutching my hands to my chest before I could straighten up and say anything.

"Holy shit," I sputtered at her, as she peered back at me while she rubbed her head where we had knocked into each other. "You fucking scared me. Oh my god."

She grimaced. "Yeah I noticed. I'm so sorry, I thought you heard me coming into the room. I was about to say something to you when you tried to tackle me!"

"Tackle you?" My incredulous tone was augmented by the way I twisted my face into an expression of disbelief. "You're the one who ran into me!"

She tilted her head back and laughed quietly, obviously also being mindful of the sleeping household. "I think it's safe to say that we were both at fault. Though, I really am sorry for scaring you. I'm surprised you didn't scream and wake everyone up." I frowned, and didn't answer her. She glanced over at the clock over the stove and looked at me inquisitively. "It's pretty late, are you just getting home? Don't you have school tomorrow?"

I felt my spine stiffen defensively at her question. "I was _at_ school actually. I'm going to bed now. See ya." I pushed past her, and made my way over to the stairs. This was heading dangerously close to becoming a real conversation.

"Elsa?" I paused when she said my name, and looked over my shoulder at her. I could hardly see her in the dark, neither of us had turned the lights on, but I could still see the fiery redness of her hair, which hung loose around her shoulders in all of its glory. "Um, I know it's late but I feel like we haven't really talked at all, or even hung out since I got here. I was just wondering if you'd like to keep me company... I was just coming downstairs to make some hot chocolate and curl up in bed with some TV, if you wanted to join me for a bit." Her expression was hopeful, but I could tell that she was also braced for rejection. It didn't take much time to get to know me enough to know that I was pretty good at rejecting and pushing people away.

Which was exactly what I was about to do.

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to make myself sound actually apologetic. I was, really, but there was no way that I was going to be able to allow myself to sit in bed with this girl and watch TV, not for a minute. But I did feel bad, I could tell she really wanted some company, and I was all there was, her only option. Still. I couldn't do it. "I really should get some sleep." I gave her a thin smile, and fiddled with the strap of my bag, wishing I could back out of the room and disappear into my cave.

Her face fell slightly, but she hid it quickly with a smile. "I understand. No hard feelings. Maybe some other time?" She asked, the hopeful lilt returning to her voice.

I nodded slightly, non committal enough that I could probably get out of it easily enough later. _Gosh, could you be any more of a recluse? _

She grinned at me happily. "Great! Okay, well goodnight. Oh, wait!" She stepped closer to me and stared right at me with those intense eyes. "I just wanted to know if you're angry with me or anything still... you know for how I acted when we met. I know I was really rude, I feel awful about it. I just want you to know it wasn't about you. I was just really out of it that day."

I swallowed nervously, suddenly uncomfortable under her gaze and closeness. "I-it's okay, really. I'm not mad at you at all." How do you tell a virtual stranger that it's not their fault you seem like you're angry at them 24/7, not because you're mad, but because you don't know how to be anything else but tense and secluded?

You can't. Well, not without sounding crazy.

"Good," she whispered softly. She was close enough now that her breath ghosted against my cheek, and I shivered. She smelled like mint toothpaste. "Because I would really like for us to be friends. Would that be okay with you?"

I regarded her uncertainly, wondering how sincere she was being. Why on earth would she want to be my friend? I wouldn't want to, I probably came across as a bad-mannered mess to everyone around me.

I was surprised by my sudden desire to be her friend, though.

I nodded, and squeaked out a "maybe," dropping my eyes to the floor and shifting nervously_. I hope this conversation is over._

It wasn't though, however, I realized when soft arms came and wrapped around my shoulders, and suddenly my vision was filled with red curls. She pulled me close to her and I felt her warmth radiating though her thin t-shirt against my skin.

_Oh my God, she's hugging me._

My first instinct was for my whole body to stiffen at the unexpected warmth that was pressed against me, back out of the embrace and take off for the stairs, leaving her in the middle of the kitchen wondering what was wrong with me. Most of me was dying to do that.

But a tiny, glimmer deep inside of me was enjoying the feeling of someone's body being so close to mine, of someone's warm breath brushing against my neck and the comfort that came from a firm embrace holding me close against their chest. And before I knew it, I was leaning into the hug, and wrapping my arms around her slim waist, linking my fingers together at the small of her back. I felt myself relaxing into her body, almost sagging into her arms as I relished the feeling of her heart beating next to mine.

I don't know how long I stood there, lost in the warmth of human contact, but my eyes snapped open at some point, and that part of me that was wanting to flee won me over as I backed out of her arms and sputtered out a good night. She smiled politely at me and told me good night, and I practically flew out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time and closing my door firmly behind me as I leaned against the door and panted in the dark.

I threw my bag on the floor and kicked out of my jeans, shrugged out of my jacket and tossed it across the room, and pulled off my shirt and bra, grabbing a baggy shirt off the floor and pulled it over my head. I crawled into my bed and pulled the covers up around my neck tightly, trying to conserve warmth.

Then I thought about the warmth of Merida's skin and the way I had practically melted into her hug, and I convulsed in my bed, throwing myself into my pillow, and felt my face burning with embarrassment.

_What the _hell_ was that about._


	5. Hiking

**A/N:** So, this was originally chapter 4, but I felt like there was a little bit of a gap in the character development, so I added a new chapter that happened right before this one.

* * *

"You need to get out more Elsa, and meet new people. You can't live at the library," my mom said to me as I picked at a heap of steamed broccoli on my plate. "I'm really worried about you."

I was sitting at the dining room table eating a late supper as the last fading rays of sunlight dipped below the horizon outside of the window, when she came in and sat down next to me with worry written all over her face. She knew that I spent all of my free time in the quiet corner of the library, and we had this discussion so many times before that I didn't even attempt to argue with her. I just rolled my eyes and continued to maul the green vegetables on my plate instead of actually eating them. _Please, please go away now._

Then she reached across the table and grabbed my hands, trying to make eye contact with me, but I backed away, my fork clattering loudly against my half empty plate, and fixed my eyes on a blue mug on the counter over her shoulder. I focused on the chipped corner on the rim of the mug, wishing that I could just will my way out of this situation. "Please Mom, I'm trying to eat," I snapped, trying shake her hands away. She just tightened her grip and her expression grew fiercer.

"No, Elsa, I'm serious! Why don't you get out and meet people, of even hang out with your brother and Merida? I know that they both have invited you to come with them when they go out, but you always refuse. I haven't seen you actually go out with anyone or take interest in anything besides your books for so long I can't even remember..." she trailed off and her eyes assumed a sad gleam. I knew what was coming next and I shook my head at her and glared, hoping she would just let it go for once, but she continued anyways, ignoring my expression.

"Look honey, I know things have been hard -" she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because I had stood and wrenched my hands out of hers. I was upset now, and I didn't want her to start asking me what was going on in my head or why I seemed so distant. I just wanted her to stop talking right now.

"Don't, Mom," I said, exasperated and frustrated. The tension was evident in my voice and voice, and she got the hint, finally. She raised her hands in the air in defeat, and sighed heavily. She looked so sad and small suddenly, and I felt awful that she had to feel that way. It wasn't her fault that I was such a messed up daughter, and I didn't know how to connect with anyone, even my own family, my own _mother_. She deserved a better daughter, I knew that.

My heart crumbled slightly when her bravery reached its limit and her face crumpled up into a sob, and she buried her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking with the sudden rush of emotions. _No no no, don't cry, please don't cry._ All of my anger vanished and guilt replaced it and clawed insistently at my insides. I clenched my fists so hard I could feel my fingernails digging into my hand and making tiny indents in my skin. _You asshole. Why are you so awful Elsa.  
_  
Self loathing pierced my heart as I watched my mother cry in front of me, knowing that it was completely my own fault.

After a long pause filled with the sound of my poor mother's soft sobbing, I sighed and crossed the kitchen and sat on the floor next to my mom's chair. I leaned my head against her hip and wrapped my arms around her waist, trying my hardest to offer her some comfort and to transmit my apology silently to her.

_I'm so sorry Mom_.

I fell tears welling at the back of my eyes, and I blinked wildly, trying to get rid of them before they fell. I would not let myself cry.

We sat like that for what seemed like forever but was probably only a few minutes, before I finally managed to work up the courage to look up at her. Her hands were resting on the table now, and her eyes were bright red and her cheeks were splotchy from the crying. I felt another wave of guilt crush me. I hugged her tighter and she looked down at me through glassy eyes. I just wanted her to stop looking like I had betrayed her or kicked her in the gut.

"I'll try harder Mom. I promise."

* * *

And that's how I ended up here. In the middle of fucking nowhere in the forest, being attacked by mosquitoes and other various insects, and tripping over tree roots that spiralled out of the ground like Satan's little minions as I traipsed through the woods.

In other words, I was hiking.

I'd gotten roped into it, when Kristoff and Merida and I were eating breakfast and they were chattering away about the hiking trip they had planned for the weekend, when Mom came in the room to make a cup of coffee. Upon hearing Merida express her enthusiasm that Kristoff liked hiking almost as much as she did, Mom wasted no time, and interjected to ask me if I was going along with them, which of course had caused me to look up from my half eaten eggs and worn copy of _Frankenstein_, now fully invested to the conversation that I had only been half listening to a moment before. My mom was looking at me pointedly, as if telepathically reminding me of my promise that I had made to try harder to get out of the house with people, and I looked back at her, feeling guilty and frantically trying to find any possible excuse that wouldn't hurt her feelings.

I hadn't thought of one.

When I said that I would go, begrudgingly, Merida exclaimed excitedly how happy she was that I'd be joining them, considering that I'd refused her offer to come along when she asked. Mom smiled happily at me and even Kristoff looked pleased. And that was it, I was going on the hiking trip, and I couldn't get out of it.

I grunted loudly as I tripped over what must've been the tenth, or the millionth, perilous tree root, and almost went flying into a pile of pine needles and twigs on the side of the path. I was not good at this outdoorsy stuff, and if it hadn't been for me feeling guilty because of Mom, there was no way I would be here. The benefits of fresh air could not be worth this.

"You okay Elsa?" Merida called back to me. Her and Kristoff were up ahead a bit, both of them dressed comfortably in hiking boots, shorts and a t-shirt, with their backpacks slung across their shoulders. Merida had gone for a Nirvana shirt today, which I had noted with approval as she hopped in the car this morning but I didn't comment on it, and a plaid shirt was looped loosely around her waist. That seemed to be her thing, the plaid shirts, she wore them all the time. I kind of liked it though, it suited her. But then again, pretty much everything suited her. I was slowly finding out that she was amazing that way.

She was looking back at me with a slightly worried, slightly amused expression while Kristoff stood next to her and guzzled back water from a plastic bottle.

"Yup!" I said as cheerfully as I could manage. "Just not used to this kind of thing, I keep tripping over everything."

She laughed merrily. I noticed that when she laughed her nose scrunched up like she was trying to smell something in the air, and she tossed her head back slightly, as if everything was so funny that she just couldn't contain herself. "You'll get used to it, I promise. Come on, we'll slow down a bit for you." She gestured for me to hurry up, and I paused for a second before carefully picking my way across the forest floor to get to her side. She smiled and linked arms with me, surprising me completely. It reminded me of the time when she had hugged me in my kitchen, and I felt blood rushing to my cheeks at the memory, still fighting the embarrassment of my strange behaviour. Her arm through mine was such a friendly gesture that I wasn't used to, but for some reason it wasn't unwelcome. It actually felt kind of nice, the warmth of her bare skin pressed against mine and the closeness of our bodies. Being this close to her I could tell she smelled slightly of coconut with the slightest hint of perspiration. It was really... nice. I found myself wanting to inhale deeply, then shook myself and frowned inwardly.

_What a strange thought. _

"Oh Elsa can hurry up, come on sis, where's your sense of adventure?" Kristoff was practically yelling in my ear, spewing droplets of water on my neck, and I shot a glare in his direction, scrubbing furiously at the wetness. I didn't have time to answer him though, because Merida cut in and said "oh shut up you big lug, not everyone can be as fit as you."

Her voice teased good naturedly, and Kristoff stuck his tongue out at her, which she returned with laugher creasing the corners of her eyes. She was so _goofy_, where was this girl when I had picked her up at the airport? This was a completely different creature that practically emitted a permanent aura of radiance. It was as if someone had switched her personality around and I had happened to meet her when she was the exact polar opposite. Or maybe airport Merida was the real one, and this one was fake. Who knows. All I could say was this girl was thoroughly confusing me, with her plaid shirt and crinkly nose and coconut scented skin.

She rolled her eyes and nudged my side, shaking her head slightly as if Kristoff was a small child and she couldn't help but be amused at his antics.

"I saw that!" Kristoff said accusingly and jabbed a finger in her direction. She just laughed at him.

"Shall we go then?" She said to us, her eyes twinkling as she maintained eye contact with me.

"Let's do it!" Kristoff shouted, and clapped me on the shoulder before taking off down the path again. I almost stumbled again, but Merida's arm kept me stable and I just found myself bumping into her and jostling her balance instead of falling flat on my face. Her melodious laugh pierced the air once again.

"Don't worry," I looked up to see that she was looking right at me again. "I'll just have to make sure you stay upright." Then she winked at me, before pulling me off after Kristoff.

I had no idea why my knees suddenly felt so weak.

* * *

After trekking for over two hours, and my legs turning into mush beneath me, Kristoff finally announced that we were nearing the end of the path. He bumped my hip as I trudged along, pointing up ahead. "Just wait 'til you see it Elsa, It'll be worth the walk I promise. It's beautiful."

I shrugged at him non-committally, a doubtful expression on my face. A unicorn would probably have trouble impressing me at this point.

A few minutes later we walked out of the dimness of the woods and into a small clearing, and into the golden sunlight. I could hear water rushing somewhere, but all I could see from where we were standing was tall grass that was mottled a mixture of green and yellow by the sunlight. The sky was clear and the warmth of the sun was so welcoming after the coolness of the trail that I almost groaned in approval. My tired muscles ached for a break.

I flopped down on the grass and sprawled out on my back, closing my eyes and soaking up the sun's glowing rays. It felt so amazing that I almost forgot about the mosquito bites that were rising in angry red bumps on my arms and legs. Almost.

"Come on!" Kristoff shouted, as I heard him and Merida take off, giggling. Not ready yet, I lay still for a moment, telling myself that I would catch up with them in a minute. I just wanted to lay here for a while, just letting the sun soak into my skin and my muscles melt into the softness of the grass beneath me.

Then I remembered that it was bad to lay down after physical activity if you wanted to avoid soreness and muscle cramping, both options were ones that I thoroughly wished to steer clear of, and my eyes opened groggily_. Ugh_.

I struggled to my feet, and brushed the remnants of grass off of my clothes, and looked down in dismay at my running shoes, which had looked perfectly clean when we had left, but were now caked with mud and debris. There was absolutely no way I was going to get them clean, I realized, and hunched my shoulders and pursed my lips in annoyance. I'd just bought them, too. _Great_.

I set off in the way that I had heard them going, hoping that they had not gone too far out of the way when I heard their voice nearby. My steps quickened, and I shouted to them, "Hey guys, I..."

I stopped in the middle of my sentence and completely in my tracks when I rounded a corner at the edge of the clearing and was able to see what was on the other side of what the trees were blocking out. They words flew out of my mouth and hung in the air before disappearing like mist and fading away. Merida and Kristoff turned to me and both of them asked me something, but I wasn't listening. I hardly even noticed them, because what I was seeing was the most beautiful view I had ever seen in my entire life.

We were standing at the base of a waterfall, which flowed down in a glistening stream off a cliff not that high above us, off of jagged rocks that jutted out like a misshapen, toothy smile. Below us the water gushed out into a ravine, and crashed down with a sound that echoed all around us like a majestic roar that filled my eardrums and vibrated the ground beneath my feet. The water looked to be so clear and pure that I felt a sudden impulsion to throw myself into its coolness and immerse my body in that glorious pool. It was so beautiful. I just stood there in awe with my mouth hanging open like a fool, until Kristoff came up beside me and threw an arm around my shoulders. "Pretty isn't it?" I just nodded at him, my awestruck expression not changing in the slightest.

"I knew you would like it!" There was obviously satisfaction in his voice that he had been able to impress me. I couldn't blame him, I couldn't remember the last time I'd shown interest in anything he showed me, and he sounded so proud that he was able to astound me, as if this peaceful little spot was his own creation. "What do you think Merida?"

The sound of her thickly accented voice managed to pierce through my haze of amazement, and I turned to her when she spoke. She had the same look I probably had on my face, of dumbstruck wonder. "I think it's absolutely beautiful Kristoff."

Kristoff made a sound of approval, and his arm tightened around his shoulder as he turned to the view to take it in as well. But I then found myself staring a Merida as she stared at the splendour that was spread out beneath us. _Her eyelashes are so long_.

For some reason, the combination of the waterfall, and the way the sun was dancing across the water in an intricate ballet, and the calming sound of the rushing water... all of it was just too much in that moment, and as I stared at that vivacious, maddeningly perplexing redhead and observed every tiny eyelash that extended from the lids of those bright blue eyes, I felt my face crease into a smile. The biggest, most real smile that had appeared on my face in longer than I could remember.


End file.
